Understanding Family Connections Through DNA
The DNA Center explains how genetic evidence can support family history research when combined with documentary sources.
Autosomal DNA
Match lists, centimorgans, shared matches, clustering, and likely relationship ranges.
Y-DNA & mtDNA
Direct paternal and maternal lines, haplogroups, and specialized testing strategies.
Ethnicity Estimates
How estimates are calculated, why they change, and how they differ from documented genealogy.
Testing Companies
Guidance for AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, and GEDmatch.
DNA Privacy
Considerations before sharing results, match information, or raw DNA files.
Brick-Wall Research
Using DNA with records and family trees to investigate unknown ancestors and missing connections.